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The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1996 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 34th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is based on Victor Hugo's novel of the same name. The plot centers on Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer of Notre Dame and his struggle to gain acceptance into society. Directed by Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale and produced by Don Hahn, the film's voice cast features Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tony Jay, Kevin Kline, Paul Kandel, Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough, David Ogden Stiers and Mary Wickes in her final role. Produced during a period known as the Disney Renaissance, the film is considered to be one of Disney's darkest animated films as its narrative explores such mature themes as infanticide, lust, damnation, genocide and sin, despite the changes made from the original source material in order to ensure a G rating received by the MPAA. The musical score was written by Alan Manken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, whom had previously collaborated on Pocahontas, released the year before. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was released on June 21, 1996 to largely positive reviews and was a commercial success, grossing over 325 million dollars worldwide and becoming the fifth highest-grossing release of 1996. The film received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Mencken's musical score. A darker, more Gothic stage adaptation of the film, was rewritten and directed by James Lapine and produced by Walt Disney Theatrical in Berlin, Germany, as Der Glöckner von Notre Dame, and ran from 1999 to 2002. A direct-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, was released in 2002. Plot In 1482 Paris, Clopin, a gypsy puppeteer, narrates the origin of the titular hunchback. A group of gypsies sneak illegally into Paris, but are ambushed by Judge Claude Frollo, the minister of justice. A gypsy woman in the group attempts to flee with her deformed baby, but Frollo chases and kills her outside Notre Dame. He tries to kill the baby as well, but the cathedral's archdeacon intervenes and accuses Frollo of murdering an innocent woman. To atone for his sin, Frollo reluctantly agrees to raise the deformed child in Notre Dame as his son, naming him Quasimodo. Twenty years later, Quasimodo develops into a kind yet isolated young man who has lived inside the cathedral his entire life. A trio of living stone gargoyles - Hugo, Victor and Laverne - serve as Quasimodo's only company, and encourage him to attend the annually-held Festival of Fools. Despite Frollo's warning that he would be shunned for his deformity, Quasimodo attends the festival and is celebrated for his awkward appearance, only to be humiliated by the crowd after Frollo's men start a riot. Frollo refuses to help help Quasimodo, but Esmeralda, a kind gypsy, intervenes by freeing the hunchback, and uses a magic trick to evade arrest. Frill confronts Quasimodo and sends him back inside the cathedral. Esmeralda follows Quasimodo inside, only to be followed herself by Captain Phoebus of Frollo's guard. Phoebus refuses to arrest her for alleged witchcraft inside Notre Dame and instead has her confined to the cathedral. Esmeralda finds and befriends Quasimodo, who helps her escape Notre Dame out of gratitude for defending him. She entrusts Quasimodo a pendant containing a map to the gypsies' hideout, the Court of Miracles. Frollo soon develops lustful feelings for Esmeralda and, upon realizing the them, begs the Virgin Mary to save him from her spell to avoid eternal damnation. When Frollo discovers that she escaped, he instigates a city-wide manhunt for her which involves setting fire to countless houses in his way. Phoebus is appalled by Frollo's evil reputation and defies Frollo, who then sentences him to death. Phoebus is struck by an arrow and falls into the River Seine, but Esmeralda rescues him and takes him to Notre Dame for refuge. The gargoyles encourage Quasimodo to confess his feelings for Esmeralda, but he is heartbroken to discover she and Phoebus have fallen in love. Frollo returns to Notre Dame later that night and discovers that Quasimodo helped Esmeralda escape. He bluffs to Quasimodo saying that he knows about the Court of Miracles and that he intends to attack at dawn. Using the map Esmeralda gave him, Quasimodo and Phoebus find the court to warn the gypsies present. Frollo prepares to burn Esmeralda at the stake after she rejects his advances, but Quasimodo rescues her and brings her to the cathedral. Phoebus releases the gypsies and rallies the citizens of Paris against Frollo and his men, who try to break into the cathedral. Quasimodo and the gargoyles pour molten copper onto the streets to ensure no one enters, but Frollo successfully manages to enter. He purses Quasimodo and Esmeralda to the balcony where he and Quasimodo both fall over the edge. Frollo falls to his death in the molten copper, while Quasimodo is caught in time by Phoebus on a lower floor. Afterward, Quasimodo comes to accept that Phoebus and Esmeralda are in love, and he gives them his blessing. The two encourage him to leave the cathedral into the outside world, where the citizens hail him as a hero and accept him into society. Cast * Tom Hulce as Quasimodo * Demi Moore as Esmeralda (sung by Heidi Mollenhauer) * Tony Jay as Judge Claude Frollo * Kevin Kline as Captain Phoebus * Paul Kandel as Clopin * Charles Kimbrough, Jason Alexander and Mary Wickes as Victor, Hugo and Laverne * David Ogden Stiers as The Archdeacon * Frank Welker as Djali Songs * The Bells of Notre Dame (performed by Paul Kandel, David Ogden Stiers, Tony Jay and Chorus * Out There (performed by Tony Jay and Tom Hulce) * Topsy Turvy (performed by Paul Kandel and Chorus) * God Help the Outcasts (performed by Heidi Mollenhauer and Chorus) * Heaven's Light/Hellfire (performed by Tom Hulce, David Ogden Stiers, Tony Jay and Chorus * A Guy Like You (performed by Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough and Mary Wickes) * The Court of Miracles (performed by Paul Kandel) * The Bells of Notre Dame Reprise (performed by Paul Kendel and Chorus) * Someday (performed by All-4-One) * God Help the Outcasts (performed by Bette Midler) * Heaven's Light Reprise (performed by Tom Hulce) International releases For information about international dubs and releases, click here. Category:1996 films